Bottle-closure.



PATENTED APR, 7, 1,903.

L. S. 6; G. H. BARTLETT.

BOTTLE CLOSURE. APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 19, 1902..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY S. BARTLETT AND QLIVE H. BARTLETT, OF ST LOUIS, MISSOURI.

" B'O'TTLE-CLOSU RE.

$PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,779, dated April 7,1903. Application filed December .19, 1902. Serial No. 1 35,834. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that we, LEROY S. BARTLETT and CLIVE H.BARTLnTT,citizens oftheUnited States, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle-Closures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

Our invention relates to a bottle having a closure of a constructiondesigned to prevent fraudulent refilling thereof Withoutdetectiou.

Our invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims. 7

Figure I is a perspective view of our bottle, the parts being showndisassembled. Fig. II is a perspective view of the bottle complete. Fig.III is a cross-section taken on line III III, Fig. II, through the neckof the bottle and itsclosure. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken online IV IV, Fig. II. v

1 designates a bottle the neck 2 of which terminates in an annular rim3. The mouth of the bottle is preferably closed by a stopper 4.

5 designates a band of soft material, preferably metal, such as lead orsoft alloy, that encircles the neck of the bottle between thebottle-body and the annular rim 3 to be confined beneath said rim.

6 is a cap of thin metal fitted over the neck of the bottle to incloseit and the band 5. The edge of the cap preferably extends slightlybeyond the lower edge of the band 5, as seen in Fig. IV, so that aninstrument may be slipped thereunder when it is desired to open thebottle. The cap 6 is preferably of tin or other metal, being made of asslight thickness as will resist ordinary usage. in the handling ofbottles. In the cap 6 we produce a series of indentations 7, wherebyprongs of the metal of the cap are embedded at intervals into thesoft-metal band 5,. as seen most clearly in Figs. III and IV, and-thecap is securely held -to the neck of the bottle.

When the bottle is to be opened, a suitable instrument is introducedbeneath the edge of the cap 6 at any point, and the cap is cut or tornto sever its connection with the softmetal band 5, when it may bereadily removed and access to the contents of the bottle be obtained onthe extraction of the stopper 4. It will be seen that after the bottlehas been opened in the manner stated it is impossible for a fraudulentuser to again put it into its original condition without being equippedwith the destroyed parts of the closure, which would in most instancesbear the name of or the symbols of the original user of the bottle,thereby rendering fraudulent use extremely difficult.

We are aware that it is not. new to place a band of rubber around theneck of a vessel, such as a jar, and seat a flange-rim of a cover overthe mouth of said jar, in which a continuous indentation is formed toproduce a bead that extends into said rubber band. Our invention difiersfrom such construction in that we utilize soft metal instead of rubberas a material for the band applied to the vessel and by indenting thecover of cap inclosing said band form prongs which embed into said metaland provide a holding means much more efficient than can be obtained bythe production of a plain bead embedded continuously into the band. Byutilizing soft metal as a material for the band we have the advantage ofa material that will not deteriorate or disintegrate in service, as willrubber when usedfor the same purpose and also a material that is notsubject to being acted upon deleteriously by acids or other substanceslikely to cause deterioration of the band, asis rubber.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination with a bottle body andneck, of a band of soft metal applied to said neck, and a cap 'fittedover said neck and band and indented at intervals into said band,substantially asset forth.

2. The combination with a bottle body and neck provided with a rim, of aband of soft metal applied to said neck, and a cap fitted I

